1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus with a display function for print preview, and a computer program to perform print preview processing.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the image forming apparatuses, such as copiers and facsimiles, there is a kind that comprises the print preview function. The print preview function enables displaying an image (a preview image) of the appearance of when the page image, that is the image of one page or a plurality of pages scanned from an original manuscript, is output (formed) onto a paper, on a display unit of such as a liquid crystal panel, based on a print data of the above-mentioned page image. This print preview function plays an important role for preventing unwilling image formation and useless consumption of paper and developer.
For example, Literature 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-164105) discloses, when performing both-side printing (printing on the front and back) for a planned book binding, the print result is previewed by displaying each of the page images aligned on a display unit.
And also, Literature 2 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. H04-373073) discloses to display reduced page images of a plurality of pages partially overlapped and aligned on a display unit.
And now, it is important to confirm a print result of both-side printing to be confirmable on a preview image about both of the page order and the front-back relationship (relations between the front and back) of each of the page image prior to printing (image forming). Especially, when a plurality of paper obtained by both-side printing is planned to be bound up (for a book), it is desirable to intuitively confirm about both of the page order and the front-back relationship of each page image, on a preview image in an actually bound status.
However, when previewing the print result of both-side printing, as in Literatures 1 and 2, it has been difficult to intuitively understand both of the page order and the front-back relationship of each of the page images only by displaying a preview image of each of the aligned page images.
In view of the above problems residing in the prior arts, it is a purpose of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus and a program for print preview which enables to display a preview image of a print result of both-side printing that allows intuitive understanding of both of the page order and the front-back relationship of each of the page images.